Safety appliance for railway-tracks.



J. MORTON.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 22, 1910.

Patented Ap r. 11

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JOSEPH MORTON, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

Application filed March 22, 1910. Serial No. 550,826.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MORTON, citizen of the Dominion of Canada,residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, haveinvented a new and useful Safety Appliance for Railway-'llracks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device particularly designed to give warningto an approaching train in the event of a rock or snow slide obstructingthe track.

The device will also be effective in the event of the continuity of thetrack being interrupted by a washout or injury to a trestle or bridge.

Vigilant patrol is generally considered to be the most effective mannerof safeguarding a railway track, but in mountain sections a slide or awashout may occur just after a section of track has been patrolled, andas in such country a railway track is seldom straight an obstruction maynot be viewed by the engineer even during daylight in time to avoidmishap it is desirable that some warning means be provided supplementingthe patrol, and called into action by the danger itself. It is to meetthis requirement that the invention which is the subject of thisapplication has been devised.

In general terms the device comprises a pipe or pipes extendingthroughout the length of track which is exposed to danger by a slide orthe like, which pipe is con nected at each end, and at such intermediatepoints as may be considered desirable, with a vessel. Within this pipeand its connected vessel a liquid is maintained at a practicallyconstant level, and at each vessel a means is provided whereby a dangersi nal is exposed when the level of the liquid falls ,below a certainpredetermined level such as would occur in the event of the pipe beingbroken or injured.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification,reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the warning appliance ateach station, and Fig. 2, a perspective view showing its application toa section of track.

In these drawings 2 and 3 represent the signal station of a section oftrack which is known to be dangerous and which may be situated a mile ormore apart. From end to end of this track section a pipe 4 is carried,

which pipe is of such dimensions and material and so supported that itwill be readily broken by a rock, land or snow slide or by a washout orother interruption in the continuity of the track that would be likelyto endanger a passing train.

The pipe 4 may be carried on either side or on both sides of the trackas the nature of the ground may render advisable or in particularlydangerous positions where a single pipe would not be sufficient two ormore may be used forming a fence.

At each end, and at such intermediate points as the character of thetrack may render advisable, the pipes 4 are connected together and to asmall vessel 5 and in the.

pipes and connected vessels, a liquid preferably having a low freezingtemperature, is maintained at an approximately constant level.

Within each vessel 5 is a float 6 preferably on the end of a pivotallymounted lever 7, and the outer end of each lever 7, that opposite to thefloat, is provided with a means 8 for closing the terminals 9 of anelectric circuit 10 in which circuit is an incandescent.

lamp 11 and an electro-magnet 12. The lamp is intended to show a redlight at night to approach in either direction and the electro-magnetwhen sensitized will withdraw a latch 13 which holds down acounterweighted semaphore arm 14 which, when released, will move up tothe danger position.

In use the pipe 4 and vessels 5 being filled with the non-freezingliquid such as glycerin and water the floats 6 sustained thereon withinthe vessels 5 will maintain the electric circuit 10 open, in whichcondition no danger light will be shown and the semaphore arms 14 arelatched in the downward position. WVhen the pipe sustains any injurythat will allow the liquid to escape, as would be the case in the eventof a slide or washout, the level of the liquid within the vessels willat once be lowered and with it the floats 6. The fall of the floats willclose the electric circuit 10 and the lamp 11 will show a red dangersignal and at the same time the current in 10 will sensitize theelectro-magnet 12 and withdraw the latch to allow the semaphore arm 14to move to danger. for night or day will be made at each end of thesection or any intermediate position if thought necessary toward eachdirection of approach and will be an effective warning This exposure ofa danger signal to a train which may be on or may approach the section.

The current for the lamp and the electromagnet circuit may be derivedfrom a battery or from other source of supply or separate circuits maybe provided for the lamp and semaphore magnet ifthought desirablewithout departing from the spirit of the invention as the same fall ofthe floats may close the circuit.

A constant level of the liquid with-in the pipe 4: and its connectedvessels 5 may be maintained by a small feeding reservoir 15 adjacent 0rforming a part of the vessel 5 but at a higher level. This feedingreservoir has a sealed upper end which may be provided with a screwedplug for charging and has a delivery outlet 16 and vent 17. The deliveryoutlet should be below the desired level of the liquid in the vessel andthe vent should about coincide with it. The pipe 4 and its connectedvessels 5 being filled to the required level the vessel 15 is filled andits filling aperture closed, the aperture 16 and vent 17 may be pluggedwhile this is being done although these apertures should be so small ashardly to require plugging. If the level of the liquid in the pipe andvessel falls below what is required and uncovers the vent 17 air willget into the vessel 15 and a corresponding amount will flow out through16 until the vent is again covered, when as no air can get in, no liquidwill flow out. p

The aperture and vent 16 .and 17 should be kept small in order that theoutflow from them will not appreciably delay the closing of the circuitin the event of the pipe 4: being injured. Provisionwill also be madefor emptying the pipe 4 when occasion requires but this is not materialto the invention.

An efficient safeguard is thus provided against the numerous accidentswhich occur in mountainous regions owing to rock or land slides or to anavalanche of snow and the cost of the protectionand its maintenance iscomparatively'trifling nor will the device be subject to derangementconsequent on climatic changes.

Having now particularly described my invention and the manner of itsuse, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to beprotected in by Letters Patent is:

1. As a safety appliance for a railway track, a pipe extendingthroughout a given section of track, open vessels connected to saidpipe, a liquid within said vessels and said. pipe, means for normallymaintaining the liquid ata constant level in said vessels, a dangersignal mechanism, and means whereby a fall in the level of the liquid insaid vessels and pipe will operate said signal mechanism to expose thesignal to an approaching train.

2. As a safety appliance for a railway track, a pipe extendingthroughout a given section of track, and supported at a suitable heightthere-above, open vessels connected with said pipe within which andwithin said pipe a liquid is held, means for maintaining a constantlevel of liquid in said vessels, floats in said vessels, electriccircuit controllers connected with said floats, a semaphore arm, amagnetically controlled latch device for holding said semaphore arm inone position, an electric circuit connecting said switch with saidmagnetically controlled latch device, and a source of energy for saidelectric circuit.

3. As a safety device for railway tracks, a pipe extending throughout agiven section of track and supported at a suitable interval above thesame, an openvessel connected with said pipe, a liquid within said pipeand said open vessel, means for maintaining a constant level of liquidin said open vessel, a float actuated circuit switch having a floatoperating in said vessel, an electric signal ing circuit including saidswitch, a signal and a source of electric energy.

4. As a safety device for railway tracks, a pipe extending throughout agiven section of track and supported at a suitable interval above thesame, an open vessel connected with said pipe, a liquid within said pipeand said open vessel, means for maintaining. a constant level of liquidin said open vessel,

a float actuated; circuit switch having a float operating. in saidvessel, an electric signaling circuit including said switch a signal anda source of electric energy, said circuit also including a semaphorecontrolling mechanism, and a semaphore controlled by said mechanism.

5. As a safety appliance for a railway track, the combination with apipe extend ing throughout the length of the track and openvess'els inconnection therewith within which pipe and vessels a liquid is to bemaintained at a constant level, means for normally maintaining theconstant level of the liquid said means comprisinga closed liquidcontainer situated above the level which it is desired to maintain, andan aperture' delivering therefrom at the level which it is desired tomaintain.

6. In a safety signal for railways, a pipe,

an open reservoir connected with said pipe,

two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH MORTQN.

7. In a railway and signal, a pipe, a fluid supplying reservoir at eachend of said pipe, means connected With said fluid supplying reservoirsfor normally maintaining a constant level of fluid in said reservoirs, afloat operating in each reservoir, a switch controlled by the movementof said float, a normally open electric circuit adapted to be closed bysaid switch and including a source Witnesses ROWLAND BRITTAIN, ALEXANDERSMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

